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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pop — music
  4. track — a song
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. track — a path
  8. scale — in music
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. pop — soda
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pop — to visit
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. scale — size or range
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fork — in a road

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com